Frequently, professional and amateur athletes need to carry the balls used from one location to another. Many athletic balls, such as footballs, basketballs, volley balls, soccer balls, and the like, are relatively large, and are cumbersome to carry. Generally, the ball simply is tucked under one arm of the person transporting it. This means, however, that that arm is not free for any other purpose.
If an athlete, particularly an amateur juvenile athlete, desires to transport his or her ball from one location to another on a bicycle, it is dangerous to carry the ball under one arm and attempt to steer and otherwise operate the bicycle with the other arm. Carriers, in the form of bags or nets, have been designed for enabling a person to transport a ball such as a basketball, football, or the like, from one point to another. Such carriers, however, do not firmly engage the ball; so that a ball being carried in such a bag-like device can be spilled out of the device or knocked out of the device and fall to the ground.
Another approach is to provide a small duffle bag or satchel in which the ball and other items, such as shoes, towels, shorts, and the like may be carried. It still is necessary, with respect to such a duffle bag, to provide a handle or other means for a person to carry the duffle bag containing the ball and other items The inherent nature of duffle bags is that they are relatively bulky, and require a substantial amount of material, zippers, straps, and other fasteners to accomplish their purpose. Thus, even though some duffle bags are equipped with a shoulder strap to permit them to be carried over the shoulder of the user, the bulk and expense of this type of construction generally has made duffle bags or similar products unsuitable for transporting athletic balls from one location to another.
It is desirable to provide a carrier capable of carrying balls of a variety of sizes, which is simple in construction, and which firmly holds the ball to permit it to be easily transported from one location to another.